Art aaya is des, Lado!

It’s not everyday that you see an art confluence like Lado Sarai Nite taking place in Delhi. The concept behind this event is simple — nine galleries based in Lado Sarai jointly open their art shows at their respective galleries. While last year Exhibit 320 had an impressive show titled, His-Story and Her-Story, which was a collective account of four young contemporary artists exploring their personal narratives, Latitude 28, on the other hand, hosted works of artist Vasudha Thozhur under the title, The Anatomy of Celebration or The Party Plot. The event was well received and much appreciated. This year, too, the galleries are lined up with impressive shows. As the Lado Sarai Nite celebrated its second edition in the Capital yesterday, we asked the gallerists to pick two works from their current show that they think are the works that art lovers, collectors and connoisseurs should not miss. Here’s a look.

WonderwallTitled, Day for Night, this show has 24 photographs by Baba Anand, which are melancholic in nature, shot randomly during the artist’s travels, capturing different moods and creative bursts of energy. However, Ajay Rajgarhia picks two works titled, Boy interrupted and Day for Night. Boy Interrupted visually conveys the distortion of a chemically imbalanced mind, which may periodically interrupt the so called normal frame of mind. It makes for an interesting piece. Day for Night, on the other hand, represents the survival instinct of a bipolar mind to reach for light through periods of darkness. Starting price: Rs 50,000 On till: October 28 Where: F 208 Lado Sarai (2nd floor)

Latitude28From her current show, Tactile, gallerist Bhavna Kakar picks Masooma Syed’s work titled, Jacob’s Creek, and Mohammad Wahiduzzaman’s work, Image + Experience = You. Syed’s work is a pun and play on social snobbery and our self-imposed taboos on the human body. She has used women’s panties that look like a cabaret hat or crowns of the royals. Wahiduzzaman’s acrylic on canvas and steel is inspired by his understanding of the present world, which is losing its humanity. “These two works, in particular, are transgressive, not just in these terms, but also given the context that they emerge from,” says Kakar. Starting price: Rs 70,000, On till: November 13, Where: F 208, Lado Sarai

Gallery Ragini Urbane Reflections, a group show. On till November 12 at F-213C, Lado Sarai

Exhibit320Over the last few years, artist Sachin George Sebastian has been working on the idea of the Metropolis. In his current show, Metropolis and the City Planners, Sebastian has five framed works and four paper installations. According to gallerist Rasika Kajaria, RIP-Rregression In Progress and an untitled piece are the two works that one shouldn’t be missing at the show. Both these installations have been made in archival paper. “The works — large paper installations — totally transform the space that they occupy. They are core representations of the movement in society today,” says Kajaria. Starting price: Rs 1.7 lakhOn till: November 10Where: F-320, Lado Sarai

Gallery ThresholdGallerist Tunty Chauhan picks Silent Shaloka 1 and Silent Shaloka 2 from her current solo show of ceramics by Vinod Daroz. “These works are outstanding in terms of composition, scale, and technical execution of skill,” says Chauhan. “The show is different in the sense that galleries hesitate to handle ceramics. It is due to the logistic issues, as the shows rarely ever cover the cost in mounting them,” she adds. Silent Shloka is an extension of the Temple Series by Daroz. Starting price: Rs 35,000On till: November 20Where: F-213/A, Lado Sarai

StudioArtThe Wittiness of a Vanity Fair by artist Ritu Kamath is a personal take on the nature of human behaviour. Gallerist Ashna Singh picks Indrani and The Cockerel, both acrylic and oil on canvas from the lot. “These two works justify the thought behind Ritu’s show — a struggle between innocence and fake identities,” says Singh. For example, Kamath has used the cockerel as a pompous man suffering from the Napoleon Complex. Losing the simplicity of life and changing it into a complicated one is self inflicted, thus leading to a vanity of fake identities. Starting price: R15,000 On till: November 13 Where: F-213/A Lado Sarai

Other participating Galleries

Abadi art spaceHome Memories, a group show on till November 24 at F 213/A, 1st Floor, Old M B Road, Lado Sarai